Daniel 11: 29-3029 At the appointed time he will invade the South again, but this time the outcome will be different from what it was before. 30 Ships of the western coastlands will oppose him, and he will lose heart.Then he will turn back and vent his fury against the holy covenant. He will return andshow favor to those who forsake the holy covenant.Introduction First of all, this verse will be very close to the ‘abomination that causes desolation’ because it takes place at the “appointed time” and verse 27 said “an end will come at the appointed time.”He will invade the South again From the previous verses, starting with Daniel 11:21, it’s almost 100% certain that the current kings of the North and South are Iran and Saudi Arabia, respectively. This verse uses the term “again”, so it must be referring to a previous verse. The only possibility I see is Daniel 11:25, when “he stirred up his strength and courage against the king of the South” and the South waged war, which was obviously talking about the Houthi’s coup in Yemen (Jan 20, 2015) and Saudi Arabia waging war (Mar 15, 2015). Yet, Saudi Arabia has yet to defeat the Houthis because verse 25 indicates that the South will “not be able to stand because of the plots devised against him.” Those plots were likely weapon shipments and advice from the king of the North, Iran, but there are few incidences of proof to those allegations. Yet, the Houthis must have been getting weapons from somewhere, in order to defend against the Saudis for over 1.5 years. I think the second stage of the invasion, which accounts for the word “again”, came on Sept. 11, 2016, when the Houthis stopped just defending and went on the offensive and took a hilltop postin the Jizan region, inside Saudi Arabia. By the way, that happened to be the 15th anniversary of the World Trade Center attack. (God loves coincidences because they show that He’s really in control.) To show that the new invasion involved the ‘North’, in Daniel 11, General Falaki of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced the formation of the Shiite liberation army, on Aug 18, 2016, which would be led by General Soleimani, who is undoubtedly the most famous general in Iran. He said that the Shia were currently fighting in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. He also said that they were hoping to open new fronts, which sounds like what the Houthis did, about three weeks later. Plus, a week after the announcement, between Aug 27 and Sept 1, a high-ranking Houthi delegation went to Baghdad, seeking support against Saudi Arabia. Among other people, they met with members of the Shia militias, supported by Iran. The evidence may be circumstantial but I don’t think there’s any doubt that Iran had something to do with the new offensive against the ‘South’. “But this time the outcome will be different from what it was before.”“Ships of the western coastlands will oppose him, and he will lose heart.”September 18, 2016 – Just one week after the new offensive, Saudi Arabia asked the UN Security Council (UNSC) for help in controlling weapon shipments to the Houthis, which served to increase western ship opposition. At that point, significant events started to happen. October 1, 2016 - The Houthis sank a ship in the Rea Sea, being used by UAE, around the territorial waters of Mokha. (The above link has a map.) The Houthis control most of the coast of the Red Sea, north of the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait, which narrows to about 10 miles and separates the Red Sea from the Gulf of Aden. The Houthis warned of such an encounter, if ships entered their territorial waters, but the incident prompted an escalation nonetheless. The US sent two destroyers and a ‘staging base’ to the Gulf of Aden, in addition to the ships from the 6th fleet, already there. Other pages of interest:Daniel 11 Explained(condensed ‘one page’ commentary)‘Matthew 24’ Explained(must match Revelation)The ‘Seals’ Explained(Revelation’s timeline revealed)Seven Churches Explained(Past & Present Church Prophecy)See Sitemap for complete listing (by category).HomeDaniel 11:28The king of the North will return to his own country with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action against it and then return to his own country. Introduction Since this verse specifies the ‘king of the North’ (unlike Daniel 11:26, which just refered to a generic ‘king’, which turned out to be Erdogan of Turkey), I tend to think this is talking about Iran. I’m also pretty sure that the “holy covenant” is Israel’s possession of Palestine, which is what the king of the North will be “set against.” Brief background Israel’s possession of Palestine (holy covenant) likely involves Israel’s disputes with the Palestinians, which has been an issue ever since Israel became a nation in 1948. After declaring independence, in accordance with the United Nations proposed map (see British mandate page) Arabs from five countries attacked the newly declared nation, causing about 700,000 Palestinians to be displaced. A long series of events later has brought the issue to where it is now and Israel is being pressured more than ever to make a long-term decision, better known as a two-state solution. Of course, Israel would rather kick the can down the road, indefinitely, because no proposed solution favors Israel (one or two states). However, international pressure over Palestine’s living conditions has brought the issue to the forefront, even calling Israel an apartheid state, such as S. Africa used to be, because they won’t give the Palestinians any voting rights nor their own nation. Show me the Money ... I need to go Home One interesting thing about this verse is that it obviously takes place somewhere other than the king of the North’s home country because it says twice that he returns there. In fact, I think it already happened, during the 71st annual UN General Assembly, which took place in New York between September 13-30, 2016. Note: It’s interesting that the 71st meeting would conclude a 70-year period because they count forward to the next year. [i.e. Total years = (n-1) meetings] It was also Iran’s first general assembly since they completed the requirements of the P5+1 nuclear agreement, in January 2016, paving the way for sanctions to be lifted. That was supposed toease banking restrictions so foreign countries could do business in Iran, but America wasn’t fulfilling their end of the nuclear agreement, such as letting Iran trade in dollars. Rouhani addressed the issue in his UN speech, as well as in a special sideline meeting of the P5+1 countries on Sept 22, 2016. At the conclusion, all countries agreed that America wasn’t fulfilling their requirements of the JPCOA nuclear agreement and America agreed to rectify to problem. How much was at stake? In May 2015, before the nuclear agreement was signed, Obama speculated that Iran had $150 billion in frozen assets but he stressed that they wouldn’t become available all at once. In an interview with the Atlantic, Obama said that Iran would first have to deliver on their obligations under any agreement, which Iran completed in January 2016. Then, Obama pointed out that there are mechanics of unwinding the existing restraints, which takes a certain amount of time. That was the part in which America was dragging their feet on but it seems that they can’t get away with it any longer, especially after the recent UN General Assembly and World Bank summit (below). That means that Iran will soon have their $150 billion, if not already, and that’s a lot of wealth. Recent Events On October 7, 2016, the US Treasury announced that Iran could legally gain access to dollarsthrough non-U.S. banks and institutions. Note: They still can’t have direct contact with the U.S. financial system but transactions and accounts in ‘foreign-incorporated subsidiaries’ of U.S. financial institutions are now legal. That’s an important breakthrough, which was likely caused by the proceedings at the UN General Assembly in New York. Plus, on October 11, 2016, Iran’s Economy Minister, Ali Tayebnia, met with the President of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, for the first time in two decades, on the sidelines of the World Bank summit in Washington DC, where she promised to launch consultations with US authorities to remove barriers between international and Iranian banks. Also on October 11, 2016, Rouhani returned from a six-day tour of Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand, all members of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), where he spoke at the second Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) summit, which comprises 34 Asian states, where he stressed the opportunities that were emerging after the implementation of the JCPOA nuclear agreement. In other words, Rouhani is pursuing every avenue he can take after the relaxation of banking restrictions, achieved at the UN General Assembly in New York. Money from Israel? One thing that I pointed out before was that Israel owes Iran at least $1.2 billion resulting from a judgement by the Swiss Federal Tribunal, which is Switzerland’s highest court. The case stems from an arrangement between Israel and Iran, from 1968-1979, where they used a pipeline to transport oil from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, as to bypass the Suez Canal. Israel would in turn deliver the oil to Europe. The agreement was dissolved after the Islamic Revolution but Israel refused to pay for oil that it had already received and delivered. It seemed like an open and shut case but sanctions prevented any transfer of money to Iran so the case dragged on for over 37 years. In July 2015, the Swiss Federal Tribunal in Zurich ruled that the nuclear agreement had removed the last obstacle but Israel still appealed. On August 8, 2016, the last appeal was exhausted and Israel was ordered to pay the $1.2 billion. However, Israel’s own law prevents the payment of money to an ‘enemy state’, which they consider Iran. Yet, according to a source with the Jerusalem Post, non-payment could result in the freezing Israel’s foreign bank accounts and assets, including properties such as embassies. Of course, America wouldn’t let that happen. It’s interesting that the appeals were exhausted just weeks before the UN General Assembly, where all parties would be present. Note: In Jan/Feb-2016, America transferred $1.7 billion in cash to Iran for a similar judgement, in international court, involving a deposit made for weapons that were never delivered. If a similar transaction was made on Israel’s behalf, it would be kept secret because the whole matter is considered ‘classified’ in Israel. In an interview with Fox News on September 22, 2016, Congressman Ed Royce (R-Ca) said, “Last night (9-21), Ayatollah Khamenei said that he looked forward to receiving more money from the US as a result of past disputes.” [quote from 40-60 seconds into the video] That would be the day before Rouhani made his speech at the UN General Assembly but arrangements would have already been made with the Ayatollah. Note: The interview was referencing the bill in Congress that was trying to block payments to Iran but Obama already vowed to veto such a bill. It’s also interesting that Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) began drafting a proposal to give Israel an extra $1.5 billion, which would take effect on October 1, 2016 (new fiscal year). That was on top of the unrepresented $38 billion aid package (over 10 years), which Obama had just signed with Israel. I don’t know if the extra amount ever got approved but my point is: America could have easily come up with $1.2 billion in aid to Israel (republican or democrat) and secretly transferredit to Iran, during the UN General Assembly, so Israel wouldn’t be in violation of international law. Conclusion on the Wealth Even though the $1.2 billion from Israel would be far less than the $150 billion, which Iran had frozen, the fact that it was coming from Israel would link the first and second half of verse 28, just like the first and second half of verse 22 was linked, concerning the ‘prince of the covenant’ (US). Given the secretive nature of Israel’s debt to Iran and the fact that America would be a primary partner in the freezing of assets, I have to assume that the $1.2 billion somehow got transferred. If not, the relaxation of banking restrictions, which were obtained at the UN General Assembly and the remainder of the $150 billion would certainly qualify as ‘great wealth’. Regardless, I think the first part of Daniel 11:28 has been fulfilled. Action against the Holy Covenant From the way that Daniel 11:28 is worded, it seems that the wealth is obtained and the action is taken at the same foreign function because it repeats the fact that the king of the North returns home. As such, Rouhani’s speech mentioned the suffering of the Palestinians and the need to resolve the problem, which was a clear reference to the two-state solution. However, Israel has adamantly ruled out the possibility of splitting Jerusalem and the ‘right to return’, which are two conditions that the Palestinians currently want. Nevertheless, on September 23, 2016, the international "quartet" of diplomatic Mideast peacemakers (the EU, UN, US, and Russia) met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and urged the parties to create conditions for restarting "meaningful" negotiations toward a two-state solution. According to the Associated Press, the meeting was also attended by the foreign ministers of Egypt and France, whose countries have each proposed ideas on restarting talks. At the end, all participants agreed on the importance of coordinating peace efforts but I think that means different things to different people because they all have different priorities. Conclusion All in all, since it’s impossible to know exactly what this particular ‘action’ is, I have to assume it got accomplished (or at least started) during the UN General Assembly, before the king of the North returned home. Besides, there’s a similar phrase in verse 30, about ‘venting fury’ against the holy covenant, which is probably a continuation of the ‘action’, which started in verse 28. Of course, I’ll keep a watch for further developments but they could apply to verse 30 because events with the ‘western ships’ have already started. So, for all practical purposes, I think the wealth and action of Daniel 11:28 has already been fulfilled. Update: In like fashion, I think the UN General Assembly 2017 will have a lot to do with the last part of verse 30, below. (see update at bottom of page) Salvation to Maturity(a simple guide)Previous page:Recent Prophecies Fulfilled(ISIS, Saudi Arabia, & Turkey)Daniel 11:24-27Next page:Abomination that causes DesolationDaniel 11:31 On October 8, 2016, a Yemeni funeral was bombed, killing over 140 people and wounding over 500. It was one of the single worst acts of aggression since the war started and it may have been in retaliation for the sinking of the UAE ship. In any event, it was a new low in the war and it turned a spotlight on America’s involvement because they continue to help Saudi Arabia immensely. The next day, up to ten-thousand armed protesters marched in front of the UN office in Sanaachanting, “America is the Great Satan” and calling for the demise of the Saudi royal family. October 9, 2016 – On the same day as the protests, two missiles were fired at a US Navy warship, the USS Mason, a destroyer in the Red Sea, just north of the Bab al Mandeb strait. (Note: That was one of the three ships that were mentioned in the Oct 1st update.) The two missiles were fired within 60 minutes of each other but defensive measures were taken so the ship was not hit. The missiles reportedly came from Houthi territory but the Houthis denied the attack. October 12, 2016 – A second missile attack was staged upon the USS Mason, while it was in international waters, but the ship was not hit. The US Navy claimed that the missiles came from Houthi held territory but the Houthis denied it again. Nevertheless, Obama approved a retaliatory strike on three Houthi radar sites, on October 13, as a “self-defense” measure. The Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired from a second destroyer, the USS Nitze, in the same carrier group. In my opinion, the ‘western ship opposition’ was fulfilled by the destruction of the radar sites because the Houthis began to make gestures of peace, in the days and weeks following the attack. October 15, 2016 – The Houthis released two American prisoners and sent them to Oman. On the same day, it was reported that more missiles were fired at the USS Mason, in the Red Sea, but CNN reported that navy officials were not exactly sure what happened. Besides, why would the Houthis fire missiles at American ships on the same day that they were releasing American prisoners? As it turned out, the ships radar could have mal-functioned and shown missiles that weren’t actually there. That begs the question whether the incoming missiles on Oct 13th were real or imaginary. When you think about it, part of the above verse could have been fulfilled because the ships radar malfunctioned. God works in mysterious ways. “The outcome will be different from what it was before” As I said, there was a noticeable difference after the destruction of the radars, perhaps because it diminished the Houthis’ abilities in the Red Sea, or perhaps it showed that the Americans were willing to get directly involved. In either case, less than a week later, there was an attempt at a cease-fire, Oct 20-23, but it was not extended. October 24, 2016 - The next day after fighting resumed, gunmen from the Houthi-Saleh Supreme Political Council (SPC) surrounded the UN office in Sana’a and demanded a meeting where they laid out a comprehensive plan for disarmament and government restructuring. They were asking for a unity government, a referendum on a new constitution, and presidential elections within a year. It seemed reasonable because neither President Saleh nor President Hadi would be in charge. However, the Saudis refused on October 26th because they insisted on reinstating their ally, Mansour Hadi, as president. October 27, 2016 – The Houthi-Saleh alliance presented a revised peace plan through their UN Special Envoy, Ismail Ahmed, just one day after Saudi Arabia refused the previous proposal. Now, they were offering to keep President Hadi, in a symbolic role, if he transfered power to a consensus vice president, who would form a unity government. Two days later, Mansour Hadi rejected the UN peace plan, even though the UAE Foreign Affairs Minister had already agreed on Twitter with the plan. Plus, it was very similar to a plan that US Secretary of State, John Kerry, had outlined in August and most of the Gulf Arab states agreed unanimously with that initiative. At that point, it was obvious who was prolonging the war because they didn’t want to compromise, even though a large part of Yemen’s population was starving to death.November 14, 2016 – US Sec of State Kerry arrived in Oman for a two-day visit, where he and members of a Saudi delegation arrived at a plan for peace. However, troops loyal to Mansour Hadi were instructed to ignore the cease-fire because Hadi was not part of the delegation in Oman. Note: There were peace talks planned for January-2017, in Jordan, but they never took place because Hadi was reportedly calling for the Houthis to surrender all heavy weapons, before anything else was agreed upon. That’s not a compromise; that’s a total surrender so nothing ever happened. Regardless, I think the “different outcome” was probably fulfilled, based on the fact that the Houthis stopped advancing and started trying to make peace, right after the ‘western ship opposition’. Currently (as of 4-7-2017), Hadi troops, along with Saudi Arabia and UAE, are trying to work their way up the Red Sea coast from Aden, which would surround the Houthis and further starve them out. So far, they have taken the port city of Mokha and have their eyes set on Hudaydah, which is larger. Update: (as of 8-29-2017) From most reports, it sounds like the Saudis and western ships have a naval blockade on the port city of Hudaydah, which is still operating but with reduced capacity because of needed repairs. The blockade is checking every ship for weapons, which means long wait times for ships bringing food and supplies. The long wait times mean greater costs for the shipping companies, who pass costs to the importers, who raise prices on consumers. The situation means that poor and starving Yemenis can’t afford to buy food, even when it’s available. To make things worse, many are dying from cholera, which could be prevented if enough food and medicine could get through. “venting fury against the holy covenant”“forsaking the holy covenant”October 13, 2016 - The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) passed an anti-Israel resolution 24-6, with 26 abstentions. The resolution recognized the Temple Mount as being sacred only to Muslims and failed to mention any connection to the Jews. October 26, 2016 - UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee (WHC) approved a new resolution,which kept Jerusalem’s walled city on the list of endangered world heritage sites but it drew sharp criticism from the US and Israel because it called the Temple Mount only by its Muslim name. Prophecy fulfilled: UN Resolution 2334 on SettlementsDecember 22, 2016 – There has been incredible developments in regards to Israeli settlements in the West Bank. There was supposed to be a vote in the UNSC on a draft resolution that demanded the end to settlement building. In a rare move, the US indicated that they would let the resolution pass by abstaining or voting yes. That prompted Netanyahu to make an unprecedented move, undermining a sitting president of the United States, Obama, by appealing to the president-elect, Trump, who pressured the Egyptian President, Sisi, to postpone putting the resolution to a vote. Israeli settlements in the West Bank have never been recognized by the international community and have been deemed illegal since the UNSC passed resolution 446, on March 22, 1979, at which time the US abstained. Yet, that never stopped Israel from building more settlements. Chances are, this resolution would have been ignored by Israel and everything would have gone on as it has before. Yet, due to Netanyahu’s brazen act, he has effectively cast a spotlight on the outcome of this issue. Four nations: New Zealand, Venezuela, Malaysia and Senegal have already reserved the right to bring the resolution to a vote if Egypt chooses not to. December 23, 2016 – The four nations mentioned above brought the resolution to a vote and it passed 14-0, with the US abstaining. It’s a historic occasion, not just because it passed, but because of the unprecedented events that transpired before and after. Israel recalled its ambassadors to Senegal and New Zealand, and reprimanded all the ambassadors to Israel from the nations that voted for the resolution. Several US congressmen have threatened to suspend or reduce funding to the UN, which accounts for about one-fourth of its budget. US Secretary of State Kerry made a 70-minute speech, defending the abstention, but it got mixed reviews. Note: One reason I think this resolution 2334 fulfilled Daniel 11:30 is the timing. The original resolution was passed in 1979, which made the Israeli settlements illegal, and this resolution was passed 37-years later, in 2016 (both because of US abstentions). I don’t think its any accident that both 1979 and 2016 were on God’s timeline of 37’s. Showing ‘favor’ to those who forsake the holy covenant In general, ‘favor’ can take on many forms. Also, different versions of the Bible use different words in this phrase. Some use the word ‘regard’ and the KJV says: “have intelligence with”, instead of “show favor to those.” I use the NIV version, which was translated from the original Greek and Hebrew (like the KJV), by over 100 scholars (twice as many as KJV), to assure accuracy in today’s English. Even so, I don’t base my interpretation of Daniel 11 on one word. The events, both historically and recently, span many verses in a row, to show that this is the proper interpretation of Daniel 11, leading to the ‘abomination that causes desolation’, just like Jesus said. Having said that, ‘favor’ is not the most important word in the verse but it stands out, to me, because its in the last sentence and I’m interested in completion. In my opinion, there’s no doubt that the entity who is guilty of “forsaking the holy covenant” (Israel’s procession of Palestine) is the United Nations (all nations together), on behalf of the Palestinians. On the same day that the 15-member U.N. Security Council passed the resolution condemning Israeli settlements, the 193-member U.N. General Assembly approved a budget that includes $138,700 to fund the creation of a database or blacklist of companies who do business in the disputed territories. Israel tried to introduce an amendment to exclude the blacklist from the budget but that got struck down 151-6. The blacklist is meant to aid the BDS (boycott, divestment, sanctions) movement and punish the companies that work on the Israeli settlements. In contrast, it would ‘show favor’ or add patronage to those companies who don’t supply the settlements. further developmentsMay 2, 2017 - UNESCO, the cultural division of the UN, passed a resolution that disputes Israel’s sovereignty over Jerusalem. The resolution states, “Any action taken by Israel, the occupying power, to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration on the city of Jerusalem (al-Quds) are illegal and therefore null and void and have no validity whatsoever.” The resolution passed with 22 votes in favor, 10 votes against, and 23 abstaining. Of course, a UNESCO resolution doesn’t carry the same weight as the UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution, on Dec 23, 2016, but it has symbolic significance. “Return” and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant” As I indicated above, I think the last part of verse 30 has a lot to do with UN resolutions and other activity at the UN, directed against Israel’s possession of Palestine (the holy covenant). I won’t pretend to understand every word of every verse but the “return” is consistent with verse 28, where the king of the north ‘returned’ to his own country, ‘from’ the UN, having accomplished his purpose at the UN General Assembly-2016. Thus, “return” is used again in verse 30 to indicate the UN’s role. It’s difficult to establish a definite completion point for the UN’s activity but that’s understandable. It will probably continue until the uprising starts, in verse 31, where the abomination is set up. One thing that continues to fulfill this verse is the BDS (boycott, divestment, & sanctions) movement. It must be taking its toll, based on the amount of effort that Israel and the US are taking to fight it. As of October 27, 2017, twenty-four states have passed laws or signed executive orders outlawing the boycott of Israel. The states are refusing to sign or continue contracts with companies that support the boycott, which the ACLU calls a violation of their free speech. People in Dickinson, TX were being required to sign a promissory note, not to boycott Israel, before receiving hurricane relief. I think that stipulation was later removed, but it shows the extent that the fight has reached. On the flip side, the UN recently sent a warning to 130 companies that they would be added to the blacklist if they continued doing business in the Palestinian territories. Meanwhile, the companies already on the list are trying to delay the public disclosure of the list, now delayed to Jan-2018. A partial list of 25 companies has already been published. Michael Lynk, a Canadian law professor, who is currently special rapporteur for the UN Human Rights Council, recently called for more support of the boycott, which the US quickly condemned. The BDS movement started in 2005, but has picked up steam, especially with the blacklist being compiled and finally published. By the way, the blacklist has a connection to resolution 2334 (passed December 23, 2016), which condemned Israeli settlements (green check-marks above), because it was funded on the same day. In a nut shell, God’s prophecies are coming true and we are headed towards the ‘abomination that causes desolation’, just like Jesus said. Yet, don’t wait until you actually see the abomination to repent. Develop a sincere relationship with Jesus, now, before it’s too late. Jesus said, “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:28) Praise Jesus. Updated:12-21-2017Updated:12-21-2017December 21, 2017 - The UN General Assembly voted 128-9 to condemn Trump’s declaration that Jerusalem was the capital of Israel. Given that the resolution was about the ‘status of Jerusalem’, I think this vote was the final fulfilment of Daniel 11:30, which has had several incremental steps. The vote was largely symbolic because it carries no action, but it was still significant because the US said that they would be “taking names” and threatened to cut financial aid to those who voted against the US and Israel. Before the vote, numerous speakers urged countries to not let the US buy their vote with threats and intimidation. After the vote, Muslim countries celebrated their victory. Since the vote was on the ‘status of Jerusalem’ and the emphasis was put on “taking names”, I think it perfectly fulfilled the phrase, “showing favor to those who forsake the holy covenant.” Riots are likely to continue because, before the vote even took place, Netanyahu called the UN a “house of lies” and said, “Jerusalem is our capital and we will continue to build there.” After the vote, Islamic Jihad urged Palestinians to “continue the uprising” and Hamas emphasized “the Palestinian right to the holy city.” Since Trump’s declaration was almost exactly in the middle of the 70th Seven, and resulted in riots, I think those riots will develop into the uprising (intifada) that sets up the abomination that causes desolation. (next verse) That would make the ‘timing’ of Daniel 9:27 (70th Seven) match the ‘events’ of Daniel 11:31 (uprising), which must match because they both contain the same abomination. -